Learn Icelandic: Sumir eru alltaf alvarlegir. - Some people are always serious.

Sumir eru alltaf alvarlegir.

Some people are always serious.

Breakdown of Sumir eru alltaf alvarlegir.

some (sumir, sumar, sum)

alvarlegur

serious

Questions & Answers about Sumir eru alltaf alvarlegir.

Why does the sentence just say "Sumir" instead of translating the word "people"?

In Icelandic, words like sumir (some) and aðrir (others) can stand alone as pronouns. Because sumir is in the plural form, it naturally acts as a general term for "some people" all by itself without needing the actual word for "people".

If a group of people includes both men and women, why do we use the masculine plural "sumir"?

In traditional Icelandic, the masculine plural is the default grammatical gender used when referring to a mixed group of people, or just people in general.

Why does the adjective "alvarlegir" end in "-ir"?

Adjectives always have to match the gender and number of what they describe. Since sumir is masculine plural, the adjective alvarlegur (serious) must also take its masculine plural form, which is alvarlegir.

This lesson is about contrasting "some" and "others". How would I add "but others are funny" to this sentence?

You would use the matching masculine plural word for "others", which is aðrir. To finish the thought, you could add: en aðrir eru fyndnir (but others are funny).